Bobbin clutch



Oct. 23, 1951 H. A. SIMMONS BoBBIN CLUTCH Filed oct. 5, 1949 3/ 9 i a Zim 8 30 1713.3 Fig INVENTOR HOWARD J/MMo/V;

BY @MM/f l. @4% ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 23, 1951 Howard Simmons, Milford,'Mass., lassgnor :of one-half ,to James Read Kimball, rHope'dale,

.Mass.

Applicationotober 5, 1949, .Serial No. :119,671

4 Claims. `l

This .invention .relates to :bobbin clutches, .and :more particularly to.the construction farrangement of a rotatable mechanism .providing a:resilient head for .the reception of the hollow end .of a bobbin or thelike.

Mechanisms of this general :construction are commonly employe-d in thetextile industry vfor supporting and driving a bobbin while .yarn or a.similar strand is being'wound thereon. Such mechanisms usually includean upright spindle over which the bobbin is placed, with the l.lower endofthe bobbin engaging a resilient head carried by the spindle. Theseprior mechanisms are Asubject to .serious disadvantages. In some casesthe spindle becomes badly worn after `a 2 comparatively short .period ofservice. Often the mechanism .is expensive to manufacture, and diflicultand costly to repair. Some prior mechanisms fail to engage the bobbinwith sufficient expansive force to-ensure ,proper driving thereof.

.It-is accordingly one objec-tof the invention to provide a bobbinclutch which will -drive abobbin in the desired manner without causingany wear on the supporting spindle.

:Itis a further object of the -invention .to provide a comparativelysimple, inexpensive fand eicient bobbin clutch such that all partssubject to Wear can .be readily .replaced at low cost. v

With these .and other objects in view, as will be .apparent .to .thoseskilled in theart, the invention resides in the combination of parts setforth in the specification .and covered by the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the drawing `illustrating fone .embodiment of theinvention, `and in ywhich `like .reference numerals indicate like parts,

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a bobbin clutch with a bobbinmounted thereon, the section being taken on the line I-I of Fig. 4;

Fig. 2 is a view similar .to a portion of Fig. .1, with the bobbinremoved;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken on the line lII-4 Vof Fig. 1;

Figa is atop plan view of a clutch body form-- ing a part of themechanism;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a ring forming a part of the mechanism;

Fig. 8 is a. section taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 is an elevation of a spring forming a part of the mechanism.

`The embodiment'illustrated comprises an `up right spindle IU having anupwardly tapered.up' per .portion II forming a'blade. The lower:portionfof the spindle is arranged to be l:supported in suitafblebearings (not shown) in a 4welleknown mannerso that the spindle may berotated .at highs'peed. On the lower portion of the tapered blade 4-IIthere is mounted a Whirl `or .pulley I2 havingraltapered .bore I4 whichengages Ithe blade 'tightly lto drive the same. The bore I4 is longenough to yprovide a rm and dependable driving twith the blade. 'Theupper end of the whirl I2 is 'provided with a recess in the form of fanannular groove I5 coaxial with the blade. v

LA :clutch body I6 ismounted on the blade tI'I directly `above the whirlI2. This body I6 is formed'generally as an `upright cylinder with adiameter substantially equal to that of the recess l5.. A tapered bore Iextends axially through the body I6, and a counterbore I9 is provided inthe :lower end of the body. The bore I8 is so proportioned that it willengage the tapered-blade .Isl tightly, with the lower end of the body I6extending part way into the annular recess I 5 in the upper end of thewhirl I2, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The upper portion 2l! of the bodyis somewhat reduced in diameter as compared with the remaining portion,for a short distance .down from the top of the body, as best shown inFigs. 5 and. Four circumferentially spaced generally radial holes 22 areprovided in the .portionh'20, these holes being located immediatelyabove the larger diameter Vportion of the body. The holes 22 preferably,but not necessarily, extend through to the tapered bore I8. Fourvertical grooves 273A are provided `in the outer surface of the body I6throughout the larger diameter portion thereof, these grooves beingaligned with the respective holes 22. Thus the upper end of each groove23 is positioned directly beneath and close to the outer .end of one ofthe holes 22. The depth of eachgroove 23 is preferably approximatelyequal to the difference between the radii of the lower and upperAportions of the body I6. Thus the lower surfaces of the grooves aresubstantially aligned with the outer surface of the upper portion 20.

Each of the grooves 23 is arranged toreceive a spring in the form of avertically elongated resilient member 25. This spring may be of anydesired cross section, for example circular cross section, and it may bemade of steel piano wire. As shown in Fig. 9, a short portion 26 at theupper end of the spring is bent inwardly to a substantially horizontalposition whereas the major por- 3 tion of the spring is bowed outwardly.When the parts are assembled, as shown in Fig. 2, the portion 26 of eachspring is located within one of the radial openings 22 in the body I6,while the lower end of the spring extends into the groove l in the topof the whirl l2.

In order to hold the upper ends of the springs 25 in place, there isprovided a device in the form of a cylindrical sleeve or ring 28 havinga bore 29 of the proper size to t the upper portion 20 of the body I6with a light press t. The outside Y diameter of the sleeve issubstantially equal to that of the main part of the body I6. The lowerend of the sleeve is beveled downwardly and outf wardly at 30 (Fig. 8),or otherwise cut away, so that it will enclose the upper ends of thesprings 25 at assembly (Fig. 2) and hold the portions 26 in the openings22. To facilitate removal of the sleeve 28, so that the springs may bereplaced when worn, two diametrically opposed radial holes 3| areprovided in the sleeve for the reception of a suitable tool.

The clutch mechanism as described is adapted to support and drive abobbin 33 of any suitable and well-known construction. The bobbinillustrated is formed principally of wood, and it includes a cylindricalmetal sleeve 34 which is firmly secured within the lower portion of thewooden body. The internal diameter of this sleeve 34 is such that itwill t closely over the clutch body IB, the lower end of the bobbinengaging the top of the whirl l2. As the bobbin is pushed downwardlyover the clutch body, the sleeve 34 will force the bowed springs 25inwardly into the grooves 23, as shown in Figs. l and 4, andthe springswill provide an outward pressure on the inner surface of the sleeve toretain and drive the bobbin. As the bobbin is placed over the clutchbody and the springs are straightened, their lower ends will movesomewhat' further downwardly into the groove I5 in the whirl.

It will be noted that the portions 26 of the springs 25 do not touch thespindle blade il, and the spindle is not subjected to wear in service.The springs are very inexpensive, and they can be easily replaced ifthey become worn by contact with the bobbin. The construction isrelatively simple to manufacture and thoroughly dependable in operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A bobbin clutch comprising an upright spindle, a whirl mounted on thespindle and having an opening in its upper end, a clutch body mounted onthe spindle above the whirl and having a longitudinally extending groovein its outer surface, the body having an opening in its upper portionwhich extends inwardly in a generally radial direction, the said bodyopening being aligned with the groove and spaced downwardly from theupper end of the body, and a vertically elongated and outwardly bowedspring located in the groove rand having an upper portion which extendsinwardly into the body opening to prevent appreciable vertical movementof the upper 4 end of the spring, the lower end of the spring extendinginto the said whirl opening while free to move downwardly therein as thespring is straightened by the placing of a bobbin on the clutch body,the clutch body engaging both the upper and the lower portions o-f thespring to resist the inward pressure of the bobbin against the 1 Spring.

2. A bobbin clutch as set forth in claim l, in which a device is mountedon the upper portion of the clutch body above the body opening, the saiddevice having a portion which engages the outer surface of the springadjacent the upper end thereof'to hold the spring substantially incontact with the clutch body and thus prevent any appreciable radialmovement of the spring within the said body opening.

3. A bobbin clutch comprising an upright spindle, a whirl mounted on thespindle and having a. recess in its upper end providing an internalcylindrical surface coaxial with the spindle, a generally cylindricalclutch body mounted on the spindle above the whirl and having aplurality of circumferentially spaced generally radial openings in itsupper portion and somewhat below its upper end, the clutch body havinglongitudinal grooves extending downwardly from the respective openings,an outwardly bowed spring located in each groove and having its upperend bent inwardly and lying within the corresponding opening so that theupper portion of the spring is prevented from appreciable verticalmovement, and an annular device mounted on the upper portion of theclutch body above the said openings and engaging the outer surfaces ofthe springs adjacent their upper ends to hold the springs substantiallyin contact with the clutch body and thus prevent any appreciable radialmovement of the springs within the said openings, the lower ends of thesprings extending into the said whirl recess while free to movedownwardly therein as the springs are straightened by the placing of abobbin on the clutch body, the clutch body engaging both the upper andthe lower portions of the springs to resist the inward pressure of thebobbin against the springs.

4. A bobbin clutch as set forth in claim 3, in which the clutch body isprovided with a portion of reduced diameter above the generally radialopenings, and in which the annular device is in the form of a sleevefitting closely over the said portion of reduced diameter, the lower endof the sleeve being beveled in a downward and outward direction andengaging the outer surfaces of the springs adjacent their upper ends.

HOWARD A. SIMMONS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,647,106 Burdett Oct. 25, 19272,471,574 Magrath May 31, 1949

